Iris Noble Papers

This collection is divided into three series, correspondence, books, and unpublished or unidentified works. The collection consists primarily of a combination of typescripts, proofs and galleys for 21 of Ms. Noble's books, most of which are for her biographies. Three of the books in the collection, however, are fictional and based on historical fact or events. The titles are arranged alphabetically with the materials for each title organized in the probable order in which they were created.

Ms. Noble's biographies make up a large majority of the collection. She wrote mainly about American men and women and the professions they made famous. Much of her work was published simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada by J. Messner. Cameras and Courage: Margaret Bourke-White (1973), Nurse Around the World: Alice Fitzgerald (1964), and Contemporary Women Scientists (1979) are all biographies of famous women from around the world. Emmeline and Her Daughters: The Pankhurst Suffragettes (1971), Israel's Golda Meir (1972), Empress of All Russia: Catherine the Great (1966), Spain's Golden Queen Isabella (1969), and Susan B. Anthony (1975) are all biographies of famous women political figures.

The Honor of Balboa (1970), about the first European to see the Pacific Ocean is just one of the many books Ms. Noble wrote about famous men in history. She also wrote Firebrand for Justice: A Biography of Louis Dembitz Brandeis (1969), Fredrick Law Olmsted: Park Designer (1974), Labor's Advocate: Eugene v. Debs (1966), Leonardo Da Vinci: The Universal Genius (1965), Master Surgeon: John Hunter (1971), and Rivals in Parliament: William Pitt and Charles Fox (1970).

Ms. Noble has also written three other non-fiction books for young adults by various publishers, Interpole: International Crimefighter (1974), Life on the Line: Alternative Approaches to Work (1977), and Treasure of the Caves: The Story of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1971). Life on the Line: Alternative Approaches to Work (1977) discusses experimental labor programs and how world governments combat job dissatisfaction among workers.

Three of the books in the collection are fictional and based on historical fact or events. Courage in Her Hands (1967) is about Melinda, a Russian colonist at Fort Ross, California who fought the Spanish over the sea-otter trade. Megan(1965) is about a Welsh orphan who travels to Canada. It takes place at Crows' Nest Pass, the ranch where Ms. Noble spent her childhood. Mahmud's Story: The Journal of a Palestinian Refugee (1976) is a "personal, true account" of a Palestinian boy growing up in the Middle East and discussing his feelings towards the government, the military, and area religions.

The remaining items in the collection include correspondence with the de Grummond Collection and two typescripts, "Bridger's Boy" and "Island on the Border", both of which were not identified and may be unpublished.